Compilation of report abstracts for publications in the Office of Technology Assessment "Health Technology Case Studies Series" which provide background information on technologies related to healthcare and medicine.

Quarterly report discussing fuel cell research and development work at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). These efforts have been directed toward seeking alternative cathode materials to NiO for molten carbonate fuel cells. Particular emphasis has been placed on studying the relationship between synthesis conditions and the resistivity of doped and undoped LiFeO2 and Li2 MnO3 and on achieving a better understanding of the crystalline defect structures of the thermodynamically stable phases.

Fires in urban areas caused by a nuclear burst are analyzed as a first step towards determining their smoke-generation chacteristics, which may have grave implications for global-scale climatic consequences. A chain of events and their component processes which would follow a nuclear attack are described. A numerical code is currently being developed to calculate ultimately the smoke production rate for a given attack scenario. Available models for most of the processes are incorporated into the code. Sample calculations of urban fire-development history performed in the code for an idealized uniform city are presented. Preliminary results indicate the importance of the wind, thermal radiation transmission, fuel distributions, and ignition thresholds on the urban fire spread characteristics. Future plans are to improve the existing models and develop new ones to characterize smoke production from large urban fires. 21 references, 18 figures.

Parametric studies are performed using a tandem mirror plasma point model to evaluate the wall loading GAMMA and the physics figure of merit, Q (fusion power/injected power). We explore the relationship among several dominant parameters and determine the impact on the plasma performance of electron cyclotron resonance heating in the plug region. These global particle and energy balance studies were carried out under the constraints of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equilibrium and stability and constant magnetic flux, assuming a fixed end-cell geometry. We found that the higher the choke coil fields, the higher the Q, wall loading, and fusion power due to the combination of the increased central-cell field B/sub c/ and density n/sub c/ and the reduced central-cell beta ..beta../sub c/. The MHD stability requirement of constant B/sub c//sup 2/..beta../sub c/ causes the reduction in ..beta../sub c/. In addition, a higher value of fusion power can also be obtained, at a fixed central-cell length, by operating at a lower value of B/sub c/ and a higher value of ..beta../sub c/.

We analyze the model for estimating the dose from /sup 239/Pu developed for the Nevada Applied Ecology Group (NAEG) by using sensitivity analysis and uncertainty analysis. Sensitivity analysis results suggest that the air pathway is the critical pathway for the organs receiving the highest dose. Soil concentration and the factors controlling air concentration are the most important parameters. The only organ whose dose is sensitive to parameters in the ingestion pathway is the GI tract. The air pathway accounts for 100% of the dose to lung, upper respiratory tract, and thoracic lymph nodes; and 95% of its dose via ingestion. Leafy vegetable ingestion accounts for 70% of the dose from the ingestion pathway regardless of organ, peeled vegetables 20%; accidental soil ingestion 5%; ingestion of beef liver 4%; beef muscle 1%. Only a handful of model parameters control the dose for any one organ. The number of important parameters is usually less than 10. Uncertainty analysis indicates that choosing a uniform distribution for the input parameters produces a lognormal distribution of the dose. The ratio of the square root of the variance to the mean is three times greater for the doses than it is for the individual parameters. As …

The fluorinating and oxide scavenging ability of XeF/sub 6/ have been studied by bringing XeF/sub 6/ into interaction with oxide-fluoride compounds of the third-transition-series elements (W, Re and Os) and uranium, in their highest oxidation states. A/sup +/MOF/sub 5//sup -/ and A/sup +/M/sub 2/O/sub 2/F/sub 9//sup -/ (A = K or Cs, M = W or U) were converted to A/sup +/MF/sub 7//sup -/ by XeF/sub 6/, but the rhenium and osmium compounds, K/sup +/ReO/sub 2/F/sub 4//sup -/ and XeF/sub 5//sup +/OsO/sub 3/F/sub 3//sup -/, resisted interaction with XeF/sub 6/. Strong interactions between XeF/sub 2/ or KrF/sub 2/ and the solvent have been observed for their solutions in anhydrous HF. Both XeF/sub 2/ and KrF/sub 2/ are seen to be effective in breaking up the polymeric (HF)/sub n/ chains. Only weak interactions occur between cations and anions of KrF/sup +/AuF/sub 6//sup -/ and Kr/sub 2/F/sub 3//sup +/AuF/sub 6//sup -/ in HF. The AuF/sub 6//sup -/ anions are slightly distorted from O/sub h/ symmetry. Kr/sub 2/F/sub 3//sup +/ cations in HF have the same dissymmetric V-shape which occurs in crystalline salts. A low-temperature orthorhombic form, ..beta..-ReF/sub 6//sup +/SbF/sub 6//sup -/, a high-temperature rhombohedral form, ..cap alpha..-ReF/sub 6//sup +/SbF/sub 6//sup -/, and …

We apply the MHD energy principle to the stability of a magnetized atmosphere which is bounded below by much denser fluid, as is the solar corona. We treat the two fluids as ideal; the approximation which is consistent with the energy principle, and use the dynamical conditions that must hold at a fluid-fluid interface to show that if vertical displacements of the lower boundary are permitted, then the lower atmosphere must be perturbed as well. However, displacements which do not perturb the coronal boundary can be properly treated as isolated perturbations of the corona alone.

With the ASCOT program's initial focus being on the study of transport and dispersion of materials injected in or near nocturnal drainage flows, a series of exploratory field experiments of limited scope were conducted during July 1979 in the Anderson Creek valley of The Geysers geothermal area in northern California. The analyses of the results provided insight into the structure of the drainage flows and permitted the design of a more comprehensive series of experiments that were conducted during September 1980 in the same valley. The experimental plan consisted of five separate and identical experiments. Each experiment included multiple tracer releases that were coordinated with a series of meteorological measurements. The general objectives of these experiments were: evaluate the entire nocturnal drainage cycle-initiation, perpetuation, and breakdown; define the regional scale flows (30 to 50 km range) as well as the flows over the ridges surrounding the Anderson Creek Valley to permit an evaluation of the influence of these flows on the nocturnal drainage flows within the valley; define, at least in a preliminary manner, the effect of surface roughness and forest canopy on the drainage flows; define the temporal and spatial characteristics of the drainage flows within the valley; define …

About 11,000 m/sup 3/ of uranium ore residues and 180,000 m/sup 3/ of wastes (mostly slightly contaminated soils) are consolidated within a diked containment area at the Niagara Falls Storage Site (NFSS) located about 30 km north of Buffalo, NY. The residues account for less than 6% of the total volume of contaminated materials but almost 99% of the radioactivty. The average /sup 226/Ra concentration in the residues is 67,000 pCi/g. Several alternatives for long-term management of the wastes and residues are being considered, including: improvement of the containment at NFSS, modification of the form of the residues, management of the residues separately from the wastes, management of the wastes and residues at another humid site (Oak Ridge, TN) or arid site (Hanford, WA), and dispersal of the wastes in the ocean. Potential radiological risks are expected to be smaller than the nonradiological risks of occupational and transportation-related injuries and deaths. Dispersal of the slightly contaminated wastes in the ocean is not expected to result in any significant impacts on the ocean environment or pose any significant radiological risk to humans. It will be necessary to take perpetual care of the near-surface burial sites because the residues and wastes will …

The performance of large-scale semiconductor detector systems is assessed with respect to their theoretical potential and to the practical limitations imposed by processing techniques, readout electronics and radiation damage. In addition to devices which detect reaction products directly, the analysis includes photodetectors for scintillator arrays. Beyond present technology we also examine currently evolving structures and techniques which show potential for producing practical devices in the foreseeable future.

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Atomic collision cross sections involving bare uranium nuclei are large at relativistic energies and will affect the design and operation of a relativistic nuclear collider (RNC). The most significant may be production of electron-positron pairs and muon pairs ({approx} 10{sup 8} per sec. and 2000 per sec. respectively for a 100 GeV/nucleon collider with a luminosity of 10{sup 27} cm{sup 2} s{sup -1}). Although the pair production is a direct measure of the luminosity it is also a large source of background and capture of an electron from the pair by one of the nuclei will result in the loss of the ion. Another important loss mechanism is Coulomb excitation of the giant nuclear dipole and giant nuclear quadrupole resonances. Storing and colliding bare and highly-stripped uranium opens up new possibilities for novel atomic physics experiments and an alternate approach for present experiments. As examples, the use of a collider for experiments to study spontaneous decay of the super-critical state (both positron production and x-ray production) of quasi-atoms of atomic number Z > 172, and a storage-ring measurement of the ground state hyperfine structure of hydrogen like thallium as a test of quantum electrodynamics (QED) are discussed.

The purpose of this note is to call attention to some important atomic physics effects and some interesting experiments involving a Relativistic Nuclear Collider.

This thesis describes the design, development, and testing of a search system for supernovae, based on the use of current computer and detector technology. This search uses a computer-controlled telescope and charge coupled device (CCD) detector to collect images of hundreds of galaxies per night of observation, and a dedicated minicomputer to process these images in real time. The system is now collecting test images of up to several hundred fields per night, with a sensitivity corresponding to a limiting magnitude (visual) of 17. At full speed and sensitivity, the search will examine some 6000 galaxies every three nights, with a limiting magnitude of 18 or fainter, yielding roughly two supernovae per week (assuming one supernova per galaxy per 50 years) at 5 to 50 percent of maximum light. An additional 500 nearby galaxies will be searched every night, to locate about 10 supernovae per year at one or two percent of maximum light, within hours of the initial explosion.

Three documents constitute the executive summary series in Data Package III: this document (Documentation Overview and Tables of Contents (E001)) plus the AVLIS Production Plant Executive Summary (E010) and the AVLIS Production Plant Overall Design Report (E020). They provide progressively greater detail on the key information and conclusions contained within the data package. The Executive Summary and Overall Design Report present summaries of each Data Package III document. They are intended to provide a global overview of AVLIS Production Plant deployment including program planning, project management, schedules, engineering design, production, operations, capital cost, and operating cost. The purpose of Overview and Tables of Contents is threefold: to briefly review AVLIS goals for Data Package III documentation, to present an overview of the contents of the data package, and to provide a useful guide to information contained in the numerous documents comprising the package.

This document deals with the procurements planned for the construction of an Atomic Vapor Laser Isotope Separation (AVLIS) production plant. Several large-scale AVLIS facilities have already been built and tested; a full-scale engineering demonstration facility is currently under construction. The experience gained from these projects provides the procurement basis for the production plant construction and operation. In this document, the status of the AVLIS process procurement is presented from two viewpoints. The AVLIS Production Plant Work Breakdown Structure is referenced at the level of the items to be procured. The availability of suppliers for the items at this level is discussed. In addition, the work that will result from the AVLIS enrichment plant project is broken down by general procurement categories (construction, mechanical equipment, etc.) and the current AVLIS suppliers are listed according to these categories. A large number of companies in all categories are currently providing AVLIS equipment for the Full-Scale Demonstration Facility in Livermore, California. These companies form an existing and expanding supplier network for the AVLIS program. Finally, this document examines the relationship between the AVLIS construction project/operational facility and established commercial suppliers. The goal is to utilize existing industrial capability to meet the needs of the …

This preliminary Quality Assurance Plan and Assessment establishes the Quality Assurance requirements for the AVLIS Production Plant Project. The Quality Assurance Plan defines the management approach, organization, interfaces, and controls that will be used in order to provide adequate confidence that the AVLIS Production Plant design, procurement, construction, fabrication, installation, start-up, and operation are accomplished within established goals and objectives. The Quality Assurance Program defined in this document includes a system for assessing those elements of the project whose failure would have a significant impact on safety, environment, schedule, cost, or overall plant objectives. As elements of the project are assessed, classifications are provided to establish and assure that special actions are defined which will eliminate or reduce the probability of occurrence or control the consequences of failure. 8 figures, 18 tables.

The AVLIS Production Plant is designated as a Major System Acquisition (in accordance with DOE Order 4240.IC) to deploy Atomic Vapor Laser Isotope Separation (AVLIS) technology at the Oak Ridge, Tennessee site, in support of the US Uranium Enrichment Program. The AVLIS Production Plant Project will deploy AVLIS technology by performing the design, construction, and startup of a production plant that will meet capacity production requirements of the Uranium Enrichment Program. The AVLIS Production Plant Project Management Plan has been developed to outline plans, baselines, and control systems to be employed in managing the AVLIS Production Plant Project and to define the roles and responsibilities of project participants. Participants will develop and maintain detailed procedures for implementing the management and control systems in agreement with this plan. This baseline document defines the system that measures work performed and costs incurred. This plan was developed by the AVLIS Production Plant Project staff of Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc. and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in accordance with applicable DOE directives, orders and notices. 38 figures, 19 tables.

An AVLIS Production Plant Deployment Schedule for the engineering, procurement, and construction for both the Initial Increment of Production and the fully Activated Plant, has been developed by the project team consisting of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc. with architect-engineer support from Bechtel National, Inc., Stone and Webster Engineering Corporation, and Westinghouse Corporation. The initial deployment phase consists of six separators modules and the three laser power amplifier modules consistent with the FY84 reference design with a name plate capacity of 5 million separative work units/yr followed by a full plant activation to approximately 13 million separative work units/yr. The AVLIS Production Plant project team's strategy for deployment schedule analysis focused on three schedule options: engineering limited schedule; authorization limited schedule; and funding limited project schedule. The three deployment schedule options developed by AVLIS project team have been classified in ranges such as an optimistic, rapid/moderate, or moderate/pessimistic based on the probability of meeting the individual schedule option's major milestones or program objectives of enriching uranium by the AVLIS process in an effective cost and schedule manner. 47 figures, 7 tables.

Following the executive summary, this document contains the following: (1) waste management facilities design objectives; (2) AVLIS production plant wastes; (3) waste management design criteria; (4) waste management plan description; and (5) waste management plan implementation. 17 figures, 18 tables.

The work breakdown structure has been prepared for the AVLIS Production Plant to define, organize, and identify the work efforts and is summarized in Fig. 1-1 for the top three project levels. The work breakdown structure itself is intended to be the primary organizational tool of the AVLIS Production Plant and is consistent with the overall AVLIS Program Work Breakdown Structure. It is designed to provide a framework for definition and accounting of all of the elements that are required for the eventual design, procurement, and construction of the AVLIS Production Plant. During the present phase of the AVLIS Project, the conceptual engineering phase, the work breakdown structure is intended to be the master structure and project organizer of documents, designs, and cost estimates. As the master project organizer, the key role of the work breakdown structure is to provide the mechanism for developing completeness in AVLIS cost estimates and design development of all hardware and systems. The work breakdown structure provides the framework for tracking, on a one-to-one basis, the component design criteria, systems requirements, design concepts, design drawings, performance projections, and conceptual cost estimates. It also serves as a vehicle for contract reporting. 12 figures, 2 tables.

Analysis of gas from a heated air-filled canister containing a spent fuel assembly before and after rupture of a fuel rod shows that about 1.5 mCi of {sup 14}C from the external surface of the assembly was rapidly oxidized and released as {sup 14}CO{sub 2} in excess oxygen at 275{sup 0}C and 10{sup 4}/sup rad/h. After rupture, an additional 0.3 mCi was released, probably also from the external surface. The total {sup 14}C inventory in the entire 15 x 15 rod assembly including structural hardware is estimated to be 690 mCi. These measurements indicate that account will have to be taken of the time distribution of lifetimes of the canisters, and a broad definition of the "engineered system" may be necessary, in order to meet 10CFR60 requirements with spent fuel in a repository in tuff. 22 refs., 1 tab.

This paper presents preliminary results of an investigation of the behavior of candidate barrier material for high-level nuclear waste storage, Type 304L stainless steel, in tuff repository environmental conditions. Tuff is a densely welded, devitrified, igneous rock common to the proposed repository site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The results discussed include: irradiation corrosion tests, U-bend irradiation corrosion tests, slow strain rate tests, and bent beam stress corrosion tests. Results indicate that Type 304L stainless steel shows excellent resistance to general, localized, and stress corrosion under the environmental and microstructural conditions tested so far. The environmental test conditions are 50 to 100{sup 0}C J-13 well water (non-saline, near neutral pH, and oxic in nature) and saturated steam at 100{sup 0}C. Microstructural conditions include solution annealed and long furnace heat treatments to provoke a sensitized structure. However, this particular type of stainless steel may be susceptible to long-term, low-temperature sensitization because of the combination of expected time at elevated temperature and residual stress in the container after emplacement in the repository. Other grades of austenitic stainless steels are reported to be more resistant to low-temperature sensitization. Future work will therefore include more extensive testing of these grades. 15 references, 5 figures, 7 …

This report outlines the capabilities and introduces some of the complications of several laser diagnostic techniques that utilize a variety of optical phenomena. Originally developed for aeronautics and analytical chemistry, and more recently for combustion work, these techniques are potentially applicable to a wide variety of in-situ measurements. The goal of this report is to provide a nonexpert, whether student or researcher, with basic information about the better-established diagnostics. This introduction may lead, after further study, to application of diagnostic techniques to new and important problem areas, particularly those involved in energy conversion. In the report, considerable emphasis is placed on general concerns in choosing and using a diagnostic and on outlining the limitations of specific diagnostics. These factors, and the decisions and compromises they force, are critical elements in the selection of what to measure and the best tool with which to measure it. They are not generally reported in broad terms in the literature, however. The simple discussion here provides a preliminary, user-oriented view of lasers, data acquisition and reduction requirements, generic sources of error, and the difficulties of making good measurements, as well as the required conditions and difficulties of using particular tools.